“Ukraine has become one of the global epicentres where the image of the future world is being determined”

“In the intense nation-building process currently taking place in Ukraine, the church needs to engage in this process with a biblical worldview”. This is the reason why Jaroslaw Lukasik launched the Christian Open Academy in 2020.

The dream was to create a training platform for public life. So far, 2,500 people (professionals in the workplace, church leaders, young students…) have used the chance to better connect their Christian worldview with the challenges facing the surrounding society.

In an interview with Evangelical Focus, Lukasik, who is closely connected with other Christians in Europe through movements such as the European Leadership Forum, emphasises the need to view cultural changes from a broader perspective. “In the intense nation-building process currently taking place in Ukraine, the church needs to engage in this process with a biblical worldview”, he says.

What the team of Christian Open Academy (COA) wants is to create local networks for Christians across different denominations, who could create projects of Christian influence in key areas of culture. All this, with the premise of “loving our neighbours”.

 

Question. Why was there a need for a forum of thought strongly grounded in the Bible for today's Ukraine? What topics are of particular interest to students who sign up for your courses?

Answer. In recent years, Ukraine has become one of the global epicentres where the image of the future world is being determined. It is incredibly important that the Church, with an understanding of God’s providence that drives global processes, can become a prophetic voice and participate in this accelerated creation of history.

However, nowadays, many churches have slipped into one of two extremes: some churches have gone liberal and compromised the biblical worldview (the church of compromise), while others have become isolated to keep their inner culture (the church of isolation). In both cases, such churches cannot be Salt and Light and fulfil God’s calling.

At the Christian Open Academy, we develop the vision of the “church of influence”, which is faithful to the Christian worldview and is ready for ministry in a public sphere. Many of our participants highlight that COA was the answer to their question about the Christian involvement in the life of their country. Our courses help to reveal the potential of the Gospel for society.

A. Every year, a large percentage of our course participants are pastors, leaders of Christian organizations, media professionals, educators, and other influential people in Ukrainian Christianity. Some leaders brought their entire teams to the training. The feedback we constantly receive is truly inspiring!

Valeriy Hryhorash, a denominational leader, said that training at COA proved to be prophetic and prepared his team for the challenges of war. Gennadiy Mokhnenko, a pastor and chaplain known not only in Ukraine, said that involving his team in COA training was one of the best decisions in the history of their church.

The biblical paradigm of viewing social processes, adapted to Ukrainian realities, has transformed the ministry and message of many prominent ministers in Ukraine. We have collected hundreds of wonderful testimonies from our students about the positive and even life-transforming impact of COA courses on their lives and ministry. 

The launch of Christian Open Academy in 2020 sparked a number of other initiatives that, in one way or another, borrowed certain elements of our vision or teaching system. 

Q. The next module this year will be on ‘Identity and Action.’ How can a healthy national identity saturated with Christ’s values be built in the current time of war?

A. Nowadays, natural identity is the area that is most subject to attack. On a global level, we are witnessing attempts to deconstruct human identity within the framework of a post-humanist project, which is becoming increasingly real in the context of the technologization of the world.

Sexual identity is plunging into total chaos. As Dr. J. Dobson said, never in the history of humanity has it been subjected to such a strong anti-family rhetorical offensive. As a result, we are witnessing a profound crisis among men. The postmodern wave of feminism has become one of the main causes of the demographic crisis.

  “These processes of deconstruction do not bypass the Church. New types of liberal theology are levelling Christian doctrines”

Year after year, the mental state of children and young people deprived of the foundations of normativity is being destroyed. Globalism is trying to level national identities.

All these processes of deconstruction do not bypass the Church. New types of liberal theology are levelling Christian doctrines, leading Christian communities into a state of post-Christian nirvana. 

In other words, in today’s world, the issue of protecting natural identities is becoming a priority for Christ’s disciples. 

But the issue of identity is also key to the historical moment Ukraine is experiencing, particularly in the context of Russian aggression. This war is aimed at destroying Ukrainian national identity. It is worth noting that national identity is a natural element of broader human and civilizational consciousness.

Reading the Bible, especially the Old Testament, we see the nation as part of God’s plan for humanity. In the context of the intense nation-building process currently taking place in Ukraine, the church needs to engage in this process with a biblical worldview. Only a national revival based on God’s commandments, particularly the commandment to love one’s neighbour, can contribute to the building of a happy society.

Q. You have managed to get renowned Christian authors such as John Lennox and Wayne Grudem to teach some subjects on the academy. But how do you find teachers from Ukraine or Eastern Europe, and why are they good role models to follow?

A. It is truly a blessing that Christian thinkers and leaders have agreed to teach at the Christian Open Academy. Every year, John Lennox, Os Guinness, William Craig, Peter Williams, and many others share their knowledge and experience with Ukrainians. There are also many well-known figures among the Ukrainian teachers at our Academy.

 “One of the key aspects is discipleship, so we try to select speakers who meet the criteria: worldview, professionalism, character”

The European Leadership Forum played a key role in forming the teaching staff and the Christian Open Academy generally. Since 2012, I have had the honour of being a member of the Steering Committee of the ELF. From 2011 to 2019, we held the Eastern European Leadership Forum in Kyiv for attendees from Ukraine and Belarus, but the lockdown forced us to change our strategy.

So, in 2020, we launched an annual 7-month online program in partnership with the oldest university in Eastern Europe, the National University of Ostroh Academy. De facto, the Christian Open Academy is a continuation of the Eastern European Leadership Forum, but in a slightly different format with a longer duration. 

One of the key aspects of the spirituality of the Christian Open Academy is discipleship, so we try to select speakers who meet the criteria set out in the COA slogan: worldview, professionalism, character. 

Q. Looking ahead 10 years, what are your dreams for the Christian Open Academy and how can others in Europe pray for you?

A. We dream that in a few years, COA will become a platform on which a large-scale and influential community will be formed, united by common beliefs, which will implement the vision of Christian revival of the country. The ultimate goal of COA’s programs is to create local networks among Christians of different denominations who systematically carry out projects of Christian influence on society.

We have launched an interdenominational initiative called Christians for Ukraine and believe that it will eventually take on a national scale. 

I envision the Christian Open Academy as having several thousand participants each year, in the main 7-month course. In addition, the COA system will offer a number of other shorter, non-certified formats. 

Cooperation with the Ostroh Academy will be fruitful not only in various master’s programs but also in PhD programs. We plan to expand our cooperation to a number of other Christian universities. 

An important element that still needs development is the media component of COA. We plan to develop a media platform that would convey the spiritual and worldview paradigm behind our community to a wider audience. There is also a need for a publishing house at COA. 

These are our dreams. We are living in a time of change, but a Christian revival is already beginning. We need to be ready for it and we need to work together with all European churches to make it happen.